


Fly, Colors Fly (TITLE SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

by Li_the_Panda



Category: Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal
Genre: Akechi Goro Attends Shujin Academy, Akechi Goro Has A Palace, Akechi Goro and Sakura Futaba Are Half-Siblings, Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood Friends to Lovers, Coffee Dad Sakura Sojiro, F/F, M/M, Metaverse Shenanigans, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Slow Burn, akira's an oc, i have minimal knowledge of p3 and 4, it's been 14 years can i say that now, kurusu akira and amamiya ren are separate characters, no beta we die like claus mother 3, shuake, sumitaba
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:35:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26748172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Li_the_Panda/pseuds/Li_the_Panda
Summary: Amamiya Ren was accused of a crime he didn't commit and shipped off to Tokyo as a result. That's fine, though, because it means seeing his childhood friends again, even if the circumstances were less than ideal.Sakura Futaba became a shut-in after her mother died. Her only consolation is the fact that Goro's still here, Sumi still picks up her calls, and Ren's coming to live with Sojiro for a while.Sakura Goro is done with society. The only reason why he keeps going is the hope that he can change it enough so people like him, like Futaba and Ren and Sumire, won't have to suffer.Yoshizawa Sumire wished, for the thousandth time, that Kasumi was alive. Despite having moved on, it still hurt to have weekly get-togethers and video calls with friends without her sister.These four always had much in common. It was why they were friends, after all. But when Kurusu Akira, a detective intern at the SIU, starts frequenting LeBlanc, they realize that they're linked in ways they can't comprehend.Or, a self-indulgent fic i made to push my shuake, sumitaba, and futago sibs agenda. This is not a novelization of Persona 5, if that wasn't obvious enough lol
Relationships: Akechi Goro & Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro & Sakura Futaba, Akechi Goro & Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira (one-sided), Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist, Amamiya Ren & Sakura Futaba, Amamiya Ren & Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Sakura Futaba & Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Sakura Futaba/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, background ryukita annshiho okujima
Comments: 10
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> a couple of things before we dive in:  
> i know i've already said this in the tags, but kurusu akira is an oc, not the p5 protagonist. the protag here is ren. why did i name the oc akira? i suck at naming that's why lol  
> premise of the story is that ren, futaba, goro, and sumire are all childhood friends.  
> the main quartet's backstories will be explained in detail during the futaba, goro, and shido arcs.  
> goro is not involved in shido because plot shenanigans.  
> i will be prioritizing this work over dlc chatroom.  
> updates will not be consistent! i have done very minimal planning and i have a problem with getting burnt out easily.  
> constructive criticism is appreciated!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uuuuh please play/watch a playthrough of p5/p5r before reading because while this follows the plot of the game, it's not like a retelling and also spoilers  
> it's more like a collection of drabbles all strung together to create a story if that makes sense  
> also apologies the first chap is so short i just wanted to set up the structure of each chap before everything gets super crazy  
> it'll pick up i promise  
> and akira's gonna appear soon  
> maybe

The first thing Ren thought as he walked into LeBlanc was _It's been a while._ Despite having been two years since he last stepped foot in the place, the cafe was exactly as he had remembered it, even the positions of the coffee makers.

"Hey, kid." Ren turned to see Sojiro leaning on the counter. He felt himself grin.

"Hey, Sojiro."

The old man sighed as he set his newspaper down beside him. "You're gonna be living in the attic. Goro and I tried to clean it the best we could but." He shrugged helplessly.

Ren laughed. "Don't worry, I'll clean up the rest." He gestured toward the empty cafe. "You've got customers to take care of, right?"

"Can it, you." A hand whacked him lightly on the head.

"By the way, where're Goro and Futaba?" Ren asked, setting his bag down in a booth.

Sojiro face darkened. "Later. Get settled first."

* * *

Futaba hugged her knees to her chest, trying to shut out the whispering behind her. She was tired, so tired of all of this. She typed on her computer, if only for something to do. It did nothing to soothe the voices growing louder and louder. She continued typing, but the voices just wouldn't shut up, wouldn't go away-

A knock sounded at the door.

"Futaba?" Her brother's voice, although muffled, provided clarity to her mind, dispelling the noise in her mind. She took a deep breath.

"Yeah?"

"Ren's back."

"I know." She had been listening to the bugs, because she didn't have anything better to do.

"We're planning a meet-up tomorrow with Sumi." Goro was probably sitting on the floor, leaning back on her door. He always did that, whenever they had these conversations through the door. "It's been a while. We just want to know what you're comfortable with..."

"...I think I can handle them coming over..."

"Really?!" Goro's voice sounded absolutely ecstatic, a far cry from the smooth, flat tone he always spoke with. Futaba's heart clenched, because it was her fault that Goro had to grow up so fast, her fault that his voice lost all the energy it used to hold, her fault that-

No. No, she was not going to have these thoughts when she was finally going to see Ren again after two years. For the first time in what seemed like forever, hope sparked in her chest, slowly growing bit by bit into a blaze. Even when she was going to inevitably retreat back into her shell, she wanted to see her friend's face again.

* * *

Goro deflated as soon as he walked into his room. The tiny flicker of happiness he felt when Futaba agreed was quickly extinguished when he thought about tomorrow.

Yes, he was going to see Ren again and catch up with Sumi and see his sister finally come out of her room, but before all that came work. And he did not want to deal with the false smiles and too-smooth masks that came with working with corrupt, greedy adults who cared about nothing for others and everything for themselves.

At least Kurusu and Sae-san will be there. They always made working within the SIU slightly more tolerable, even if the case Sae-san asked for help on was currently going in circles.

He plopped down at his desk, staring blankly at his chemistry homework, only just barely registering that it was already finished. He sighed, rummaging through the rest of schoolwork, looking for something to do, before opening his attache case and taking out the case files for his own case. The going was slow, but he was making progress, and it was better to think about piecing together this puzzle than drowning in his hatred for the police department.

He readjusted his gloves, finding comfort from the familiar creak of leather, before diving in.

* * *

Sumire snatched her water bottle from her bag, chugging the clear liquid. She sank down onto the mats at the edge of the gym, scrolling through her messages.

Ren was in Tokyo. Yeah, it was because he was on probation, but that didn't matter. She could finally see his face again, and maybe Goro could drop the facade he always had on and Futaba could smile for once.

It would have been perfect if Kasumi was alive.

Sumire shook herself. She had moved on, for the most part. She could think about Kasumi and not break down into a fit of tears, at least. Still, it was hard to think about tomorrow and not see Kasumi with the four of them, playing Uno in Futaba's cramped room, laughing over some joke Ren told or consoling Goro as he complained about school and work.

Who was she kidding? She hadn't moved on from her sister at all. It had only been two weeks; of course her mind would constantly be on her twin.

Sumire smiled sadly. Tomorrow was going to be bittersweet for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am not proud of this at all lol this was more of a test/word vomit than an actual chapter  
> it starts picking up in like 3 chapters so pls bear with me


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey hey there are references of suicidal ideation in this chap  
> it's like,,, not the most obvious (except for one line; pls tell me if it's more than that) but i just wanted to warn you, better to be safe than sorry after all

Akira leaned back on the stair railing, tapping his foot impatiently. Sae-san had called him here for help on something, so what was taking her so long? He pulled out his phone. One new message with a list of names from his employer. He scrolled through the long list of names, already planning out the month ahead.

"Hello, Kurusu-kun."

Starting, he instinctively pressed the power button. He nodded to the brunet in front of him with a "Sakura-kun" and pocketed his phone.

"I take it that Sae-san called you here as well?" Sakura Goro asked, taking out his phone to presumably check the time.

"Yeah." Akira carefully slipped on a new mask: slightly more casual than the one he always presented at work, but not too friendly. Sakura-kun was a lot more tolerable than the rest of the adults he worked with, mainly because they were so similar. Both of them were absolutely done with the corruption in the higher offices, both had to deal with the dismissal from older, incompetent investigators because they were still teenagers, and both wore masks to appease others. And this similarity was also what made the brunet so insufferable.

The sound of footsteps broke through Akira's thoughts. Sae-san was descending the stairs towards them, finally done with whatever she had been doing.

"Did you need us for something?" Akira asked her, feeling slightly irritated that she kept him waiting for so long. "Is it the case you're working on?"

"No," she answered. "I just need your opinions on something."

Sakura-kun glanced at his phone again. "I don't believe this will be a quick conversation?"

"No."

"Then I won't be able to join you. I have some personal matters to attend to this evening."

As if on cue, his phone rang. Sakura-kun sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, before picking the call up. He turned his back on his companions, heading towards the door.

"I'm still at the SIU building— I'm sorry! Something came up, but I'm on my way now—" The sound of the brunet's laugh faded as he left the building. Akira tried to ignore the twisting in the pit of his stomach, that feeling of jealousy that was all too familiar to him. He sighed, turning to the older woman beside him.

"How about we discuss this over sushi? You're making a student work late, after all."

Sae-san gave him an exasperated smile. "Conveyor belt only."

"Aww..."

* * *

Ren arrived 15 minutes early, took one look at Futaba's room and decided that, yeah, it's not gonna be big enough for the four of them. After some bribing with video games and Featherman figurines, Ren managed to coax the hermit out of her room. They migrated to the living room, watching old cartoons while waiting for Sumi and Goro to arrive.

Sumi arrived right on time, bringing an entire legion of snacks with her. Futaba instantly snatched the Jagariko, attacking it with vigor while Ren and Sumi watched with amusement.

The three of them were having a totally civilized game of Mario Kart when they heard the front door open and a voice call "I'm home!" The sound of footsteps quickly morphed into a loud _squeak!_ as Goro slid down the hall in his socks. Ren turned around, a teasing remark about the childish habit on his tongue—

_Oh no._

_He got hot._

Ren's voice died.

Goro had grown out his hair, and it was framing his face, which had gotten slightly more angular, bringing out the light smattering of freckles on his cheeks. He had ditched his glasses, bringing out the wine red of his eyes, and had they always been so sharp? Holy shit they're pretty. Ren felt his cheeks flare as he focused on his controller instead, feeling like he could simultaneously combust at any moment. He was grateful he had already finished in game, because he would not have been able to focus at all.

"I see the three of you started the fun without me," Goro said, flopping down on the couch next to his sister.

"Whatchu get for bein' late," Futaba grumbled. She set down her controller to attempt ruffling Goro's hair. He dodged gracefully, retaliating with a gloved hand on Futaba's hair, turning the orange locks into a rat's nest.

Ren blinked. _Gloves?_

Fuck. Apparently he's into gloves now.

* * *

Futaba reached for another bag of chips, sending an unamused look at Ren, trying to convey a message of _can you please calm down?_

Futaba could've sworn she heard an arrow strike Ren's heart as soon as Goro walked through the door. It would've been amusing if she hadn't immediately felt like shit for intruding.

Who knows? Maybe Goro could've had the time and energy to develop feelings for Ren if he hadn't been so preoccupied with her. She was nothing more than a leech on his life, sucking away at his happiness, turning him into a jaded mess of teenage emotions. He shouldn't be bothering himself with her. He deserved better: better parents, a better sister, a better life.

He should just let her die in the tomb she created for herself and spare himself from more pain.

"Futaba? Hello?" A hand waved in front of her face. Sumi was looking at her worriedly. 

Futaba yanked her thoughts out of her downward spiral, though a tiny voice continued to whisper in the back of her head. "What?" she asked her red-headed friend, in need of a distraction.

Sumi frowned, brow creased with worry. "...We're dissing Fates. It's your turn."

"Iago's a bitch" was the first thing that came out of Futaba's mouth.

"Language!" Her brother bopped her on the head.

"Not like that's stopping you," she retorted, and the voice in her head almost disappears completely as she's reminded of better times, when the two would have quarrels like this daily while Mom—

_"I wish you had never been born!"_

A ringing pain pierced through her forehead, a familiar sting that's been her companion for a good two years.

She put her head in her hands, trying to defend herself from the onslaught of screeching that always accompanied the headaches. The world tilted, her chest tightened and it was getting so, so hard to breathe—

* * *

The hangout was over and Goro was exhausted.

After Futaba was calmed down from her impromptu panic attack, the four of them agreed that that was all they were going to do for the day. Any future group hangouts would be on video call.

Goro lay in bed, staring at the wall of his room. He was supposed to be sending a status update to his supervisor right about now, but his mind was so clouded and blank that he couldn't even half-ass the report. His mind kept going back to Futaba.

He was worried. The episodes were getting more frequent, and more severe. Futaba's mutterings had increased in franticness, and there were multiple occasions where Goro had to reassure Futaba through the wall they shared in the middle of the night.

It was one of those nights. Goro sighed and brought his gloved hands to his face. Slowly, delicately, he peeled off the soft leather, placing the gloves on the pillow beside him.

The muted feelings of panic and inadequacy struck him with full force, washing over him in waves. He brought his knees up to his chin, curling up in a ball as he let the deprecating thoughts assault him.

He hadn't been able to protect Futaba. He had failed another person he loved, just like how he failed his mother and Wakaba.

His only hope now was for something, someone to save his sister. All he could do now was protect Futaba from further harm.

_"I shouldn't have had you...! You're nothing but a pain in the ass!"_

And there's the voice, the same voice that's been haunting him for a good eight years now.

Goro sighed, shutting his eyes. He didn't want to look at anything right now. His head was killing him. He rolled onto his back, drifting off into an uneasy sleep.

The world twisted slightly around him, shifting in appearance before returning back to normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> goro: *does literally anything*  
> ren: oh no he's hot
> 
> also idk why but writing futaba's depression feels cathartic for some reason  
> uuuhhhh
> 
> also im so sorry this took so long,,,, this past week's been kicking my ass, as you could probably tell by that vent/songfic i made on wednesday hnnnnn
> 
> edit: just added the bit about goro's glasses because i have a hc that his eyesight is actual shit  
> and because that's gonna be important later but shhh
> 
> also im so sorry for not updating hagdfs i've hit a wall rip


	3. Chapter 3

It was the first day of school, and Sumire was... somewhat excited?

She was starting off with the status of an honor student, which was nice. Kinda. She wasn't sure if she was going to keep said status, considering her results in competitions recently, plus...

"Oh, is that the new honor student?"

"Yoshizawa-chan, right? Man, she's cute."

"How is she so thin? No fair..."

Sumire hurried past the whispers, navigating through Shujin's halls to her homeroom. She exchanged nods and brief pleasantries with other people in the halls, but she knew the smiles on their faces hid ulterior motives.

She would know. One of her best friends had to deal with this daily. Said friend also had a bad habit of keeping a mask on at all times, even when around people he should trust.

No wonder Goro was always so bitter.

She stopped outside her classroom, taking a deep breath to calm herself down from an encounter with that man. People were already hitting on her, a teacher no less. She reevaluated her thoughts on her first day. She was not excited, she did not want to be here, and she just wanted to go home. Thank god Goro and Ren were also going to this school, because this entire school year would've been absolutely insufferable otherwise.

Speaking of which, Sumire hadn't seen Ren ever since she and Goro got separated from him at the train station. The three of them had agreed to walk to and from school together whenever possible, but then Ren got mixed up in the crowd while changing lines. Sumire dearly hoped that he wasn't lost.

She took out her phone. He hadn't texted the group chat the four childhood friends made after their reunion yesterday. She opened her pms with him and shot a quick message.

**Private messages with Amamiya Ren**

**Yoshizawa Sumire:** Ren, did you get to school okay? Message failed to send.

Sumire frowned. Her phone had acted wonky the first few days after the accident, but a visit to Futaba ensured that there shouldn't be anything wrong now. Maybe Ren's phone was being buggy, or he still hadn't figured out his data plan. Ren's texts in the group chat worked just fine, though.

Sumire groaned, stuffing her phone back in her bag. She shouldn't be so worried. This was Ren, who always managed to come out of sticky situations mostly unscathed. So why couldn't she ignore that twisting feeling in her gut that something was wrong?

* * *

Akira hummed as he scrolled through his phone, tuning out the teacher's lecture about classroom procedures. The train accident yesterday had resulted in 80 injured. While there weren't any deaths on the scene, four people died while being treated at the hospital. Akira winced. The collateral damage was worse than he had been expecting. At least Shido wouldn't be breathing down his neck about getting the Minister of Transport fired anymore.

He clamped down on the beginnings of nausea and self-loathing. This was all necessary. He was going to bring down evil, like the heavens decreed, and all these sacrifices would be worth it.

The rest of the school day went by without much incident. Akira left the school as quickly as possible, heading towards the police station to pick up some extra paperwork.

So of course he would run into Sakura-kun while running from fans. Well, more like spot Sakura-kun, but same difference. Akira opened his mouth, ready to call out, when he noticed that he was wearing his school uniform instead of his usual tan blazer.

Right. He was taking time off work to help his friends, who were new to Shujin, get settled. Akira could deduce that the red-haired girl and the fluffy-haired boy standing next to Sakura-kun were said friends.

Biting down on the jealousy that was rising in his throat, he moved to the platform, as far as he could possibly be from the trio. He didn't have time to talk to Sakura-kun anyway.

* * *

To say that Ren's first day of school was wild would be an understatement.

The school turning into a castle, almost getting killed with Sakamoto, Kamoshida in a pink speedo (Ren's gonna have to bleach his eyes to unsee that), having a whole anime moment by tearing a mask off his face, and a talking cat?

Sure. Why not. Life just loved to throw all sorts of bullshit his way. Just throw in being half a day late on top of all that. Yep. Ren's fine.

He wasn't exactly sure what to make of Sakamoto. On one hand, he wanted to go up to that rooftop to see what the blond had to say. On the other, he wanted to go back home, crash on his bed, and go to sleep forever.

Ren took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Going to see Sakamoto shouldn't hurt. It wouldn't take long. Hopefully.

***

Ren made it to the rooftop just fine, though he unfortunately didn't run into Goro or Sumi along the way.

Sakamoto, or rather Ryuji, seemed alright enough. Hot-headed, but with a heart of gold. Kinda like how Goro used to be, before shit hit the fan. Ren wouldn't mind having him for a friend.

When he got to the school gates, he saw that Sumi and Goro were already waiting for him.

"Sorry I'm late, something came up," he said as he walked over to where they were standing. Goro looked less than pleased as the three made their way to the station.

_Uh oh._

"So. I heard you were late to school," the brunet said, eye ticking. Yep, he was mad.

"Wait, really?" Sumi looked at Ren incredulously. "Did you get lost when we got separated?"

"...Yeah."

Goro pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know it's been a while since you were last in Tokyo, but seriously, Ren? Half a day late? Your reputation can't afford to take any more hits, you know."

"Half a day?!" Sumi's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her sockets. "Wait, what's this about Ren's reputation?"

"His record somehow got leaked," Goro said. He seemed to be having trouble keeping the anger and frustration out of his voice. "It's been a nightmare trying to fend off the rumors."

Ren fiddled with a strand of hair. "Just my luck, huh."

Goro shot him an exasperated glance. "I don't know how you're so calm about this."

Ren shrugged. "Disassociating from the world around you helps."

"I also heard you've been hanging around Sakamoto."

Ren looked Goro in the eye and deadpanned, "Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?"

Goro's face flushed. Ren would've laughed at how cute it was if Goro also didn't look like he was about to murder someone. Sumi's gaze flitted between the two boys nervously as they descended the stairs to the subway.

"I'm just saying that you should be careful when associating with people like him," Goro said slowly, voice steady. Yeah, Ren's definitely dying in his sleep tonight. "Sakamoto Ryuji is notorious for being a violent delinquent."

Ren hummed, fighting the urge to argue. Ryuji wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, and he also was quick to anger, but he didn't deserve being written off like that.

Sumi seemed to have the same thoughts as him. "Isn't that a little harsh?"

Goro sighed. "I'm speaking from personal experience."

Ren stared at him. "You've met him?"

Goro scoffed. "Of course. He loves to harass me, considering I'm Student Council Vice President."

Ren almost choked. "You're on the student council?"

Goro raised an eyebrow. "You never knew?"

The trio arrived at the platform. Ren stared at the train tracks. "You never said anything about that..."

"I'm pretty sure I mentioned it multiple times." Goro's voice contained the tiniest hint of laughter.

Sumi looked unamused. "Ren, were you even paying attention during our video sessions for the past two years?"

"I was!"

The three continued to banter with each other all the way to LeBlanc. Ren barely stepped through the door before he was greeted by a glare from Sojiro.

"I got a call from the school."

Goro waved his hand. "I already gave him this lecture."

Sojiro sighed. "Alright, fine. You kids can stay over if you like."

The three started up a video call with Futaba during their homework session, which continued into dinner. Sumi left about an hour in, citing gymnastics practice. The call ended after Futaba fell asleep. Sojiro had closed the cafe and went home for the day. It was just Goro and Ren in the quiet cafe, going through their remaining homework.

"You know, it's been a while since we last hung out," Goro commented, scribbling down a trigonometry equation.

"What do you mean? What about yesterday?" Ren replied, flipping through the notes he took during social studies.

"I meant like," Goro seemed to flounder for words, "just the two of us."

"Oh" was all Ren could manage, suddenly aware of how fast his heart was beating and how sweaty his hands were. Why was he like this? Yeah, it had been a while since just the two of them hung out, but it was totally normal for friends spend time together! So why was Ren so nervous?

He had an idea, but he was too scared to think about it.

"I know a few places in Kichijoji," Goro continued, words starting to speed up. Ren wondered if he was imagining the slight flush spreading across the brunet's cheeks. "I'm going to be busy most of the time, and you don't have to spend time with me, but—"

"Sure."

A smile broke out across Goro's face. Ren's chest felt warm and fuzzy for some reason.

 _**I am thou. Thou art I.** _ **_Thou hast acquired a new vow._ **

**_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._ **

**_With the birth of the Jusṭ̵̋̔̌̚ͅice Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power..._ **

* * *

Futaba leaned back in her chair, trying and failing not to smile. Oh, those stupid idiots in love. She should've recorded that entire conversation and sent it to Sumi and screamed into the abyss. Shipping people in real life wasn't the same as shipping fictional characters, and it definitely wasn't a good idea but hey. What else was Futaba supposed to do besides wallowing in her grief?

She tried to ignore the voice in her head, telling her that Goro would be happier without her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> goro: it's been a while since we've last hung out by ourselves  
> ren: *windows crashing noise*
> 
> hmmmmm ren's first confidant and it's goro >.>
> 
> also i apologize for futaba's section, there's honestly not much i can write for her except screaming about shuake and being depressed  
> for now ewe
> 
> i also apologize if the story's going really slowly, it picks up i promise  
> wait didn't i say this already in chap 1  
> oops
> 
> edit: changed ren's nervous tic and the name of the chat heading  
> edit #2: changed some wording because i feel like running from fans would make more sense than changing lines for akira since he's the second detective prince  
> edit #3: changed like one letter haha


	4. Chapter 4

"Sakura-kun? Are you listening to me?"

Goro startled. He needed to do something about that bad habit of tuning everything around him out. He laughed sheepishly. "I'm afraid I wasn't, Niijima-san. What is it?"

Niijima Makoto frowned. "We were discussing the volleyball rally."

Ugh. Goro made a mental note to skip school tomorrow. He didn't want to deal with Kamoshida in all his disgusting glory. Goro's grip tightened on his pencil. He had half a mind to file a request to assemble a case against Kamoshida, but as intern, he couldn't. And he hated it.

"I'm assuming the necessary preparations have been made?" he asked the student council president, because he honestly didn't have anything else to say.

"Of course. You don't have anything to add?"

"No, not really." _Other than the fact that the rally's just a waste of time._ Before Goro could say that, his phone buzzed.

**Private messages with Kurusu Akira**

**Kurusu Akira:** Are you free?

 **Kurusu Akira:** We've got another psychotic breakdown.

Goro immediately shoved his notebook into his bag. "I apologize, but it seems something urgent came from work. I'll be seeing all of you later." He nodded to Niijima-san, then to the rest of the student council. Thank god for Kurusu-kun and his impeccable timing.

***

"The psychotic breakdown this time was a bus driver," Kurusu-kun said, mulling over the files. A diner wasn't the best place for something like this, but both of them agreed that the office was way too stuffy. "He drove down the wrong lane and the resulting crash injured eight."

Goro put a hand to his chin, trying to think. "The Minister of Transport is finished for sure... Who would benefit from him leaving?"

Kurusu-kun sighed. "You still think the psychotic breakdowns are connected to one person?"

"They have to be. These incidents aren't random." Goro tapped his pen against the table. "Only employees and lower-ranked workers have suffered from these breakdowns. The breakdowns seem to be centered around someone in higher power." He pointed to the bus driver file. "Take the most recent incidents, for example. Only public transport has been targeted for the past few months, almost as if someone's trying to make the Minister of Transport look incompetent and get him out."

Goro set his pen down. Kurusu-kun looked lost in thought. This was what he appreciated about the silver-haired boy. Instead of dismissing Goro's thoughts like everyone else in the SIU, he took them into consideration, even if he disagreed. It was refreshing, to just let his logic wander around and have someone listen.

"Okay..." Kurusu-kun frowned. "We can try to go through government files tomorrow."

Goro dragged a hand down his face. The going was always slow when it came to work. He pulled out his phone to check the time and was greeted with a barrage of notifications from his messaging app.

**Private messages with Sakura Futaba**

**Sakura Futaba:** goro

 **Sakura Futaba:** gowowowowo

 **Sakura Futaba:** gobro

 **Sakura Futaba:** clown

 **Sakura Futaba:** pancake man

 **Sakura Futaba:** feral rat

 **Sakura Futaba:** bowl of cereal left out in the sun for an hour

 **Sakura Futaba:** hello???

 **Sakura Futaba:** ok ill stop bothering you :(

 **Sakura Goro:** futaba??

 **Sakura Goro:** what is it?

 **Sakura Futaba:** the new black condor figurine came out

 **Sakura Goro:** oh

 **Sakura Goro:** i'll drop by akihabara and see if it's still available

 **Sakura Futaba:**!!!!

 **Sakura Futaba:** i love you gowo uwu

Goro smiled despite himself. It looked like Futaba was having a good day. That was rare. He also couldn't deny feeling excitement over the new figurine. He put his phone away and got up.

"Thank you for meeting with me, Kurusu-kun. Unfortunately, I have to leave now." Goro bowed before turning to leave the diner. As soon as he was out the door, he sprinted to the train station.

* * *

Sumire gently placed a bouquet of flowers on the gravestones of her sister. She sat down in front of Kasumi's grave, gently brushing away stray leaves and flower petals.

"I'm back, Kasu," she murmured. "I know it's only been a week since I last visited, but I wanted to talk to you again."

She stretched out her legs. "The volleyball rally is tomorrow. I'm not sure if I want to play." She paused, picking at her skirt. "The school year's only just begun, but I already don't like the majority of the school. Especially the gym teacher. Everyone's talking about how cool he is, or how he brings the school honor, but—" Sumire shuddered. "I just can't feel that way after he had the audacity to hit on me yesterday.

"Goro and Ren are doing fine enough. I haven't heard much from Futaba, but she seems to be doing fine, too. I just wish you were there at the hangout on Sunday. You should have seen the look on Ren's face when he saw Goro.

"Did I ever tell you about Kurusu Akira? He's called 'The Detective Prince'. He's getting popular, so Dad's trying to get him to appear on the show. I don't know why, but he kind of reminds me of Goro. Maybe it's because Goro also had a chance at appearing on TV?

"Gymnastics is going well, for the most part. I'm still not as good as you were, but I'm trying. I'm—" Sumire took off her glasses, rubbing at the tears that were welling in her eyes. "I'll make you proud. I'll fulfill our dream for us, I promise. It's just taking a lot of time."

Sumire set her glasses down beside her. "Dr. Maruki's helping me, though. I wish you could meet him. He's really nice."

She thought back to that first session with her therapist, the day after Kasumi died. It had been a pleasant experience. They talked about Kasumi for as long as Sumire could handle (Maruki never pushed, always allowing Sumire to set her own pace), then the conversation moved to apples and cooking, of all things.

Sumire took out a red ribbon from her pocket. "I forgot to return this to you last time..." She set it down next to the bouquet. "I hope you're happy up there."

* * *

Akira watched Sakura-kun leave the diner warily.

The brunet was too smart for his own good. Akira knew that despite his best efforts, something was going to slip through the cracks. But for Sakura-kun to sniff out something like that so easily...

Akira took out his phone and sighed. Sakura-kun was the closest thing he had to a friend. But he couldn’t risk his justice for an acquaintance that he may have gotten attached to. Besides, Sakura-kun would abandon Akira instantly if he found out the truth. So Akira ignored the disgust that was rising in his throat and dialed the number he'd memorized two years ago.

* * *

Ren bent over in the alleyway behind Shujin, trying to catch his breath. Even though Ryuji's awakening granted the team a lot more firepower (and a lot more firepower indeed), that fight against those shadows weren't easy.

"Thank god..." Ryuji's voice snapped Ren out of stupor. The blond was leaning against the wall in obvious exhaustion. "We're back. I dragged you around a lot, huh? Sorry about that."

Ren managed to catch his breath fully and straightened up, adjusting the bag on his shoulder. Ryuji pushed off of the wall, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Ugh, I'm dead tired. How you holdin' up?"

Ren stretched. He was feeling slightly lethargic, but that could be easily shaken off. "Eh, I'm fine."

"That's impressive. I'm exhausted even though I used to do track..." Ryuji rubbed his nose, a smile spreading across his face. "But damn, if what we saw was for real, this is gonna get good! I totally remember the faces of the guys Kamoshida was treatin' like slaves. Once we make 'em fess up to any physical abuse, Kamoshida will be done."

Ren knew where this was going. "You want to look for those guys?"

"Yeah!" Ryuji replied.

Ren didn't have to think about it for very long. "Sure, I'll help."

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Ryuji's jubilant expression fell. "Hey, so... If you're thinkin' of layin' low 'cause you got a record, I don't think that'll help. Everyone already knows. They totally got you pegged as a criminal."

Ren thought back to the conversation he had with Goro yesterday. It certainly was strange; nobody but the faculty was supposed to know about his record.

"How'd that happen?"

"Kamoshida opened his damn mouth!"

Ok, Ren should've seen that coming. "A teacher did that?"

"No one else besides a teacher could've leaked it that fast! It doesn't matter if it's a student or a club; that asshole just wrecks things he doesn't agree with. Just like he did with me!" Ryuji kicked at the concrete. "No one'll take anything I say seriously. Still, those rumor about him gettin' physical might be real. And after seeing Kamoshida's distorted heart thing in person, there's no way I can just sit back!"

Ren nodded, resolve strengthening. "Of course."

Ryuji pumped his fist. "I'm countin' on you! Don't worry—I'm hyped about this too!"

**_I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow._ **

**_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._ **

**_With the birth of the Chario̶t Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power..._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know nothing about featherman rip me  
> i meant to post this on halloween...  
> happy late halloween???
> 
> i realized i havent uploaded in like. a month lol whoops
> 
> god this was the most canon-compliant chap (i copy-pasted a lot of the dialogue in ren's section) and i just remembered how much i hated writing canon-compliant-
> 
> ryuji's underrated fite me
> 
> some other notes: i cleaned up the tags and got rid of the chapter summaries


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: shiho does the you-know-what, goro gets triggered by it, and a slightly graphic description of a dead body. DO NOT IGNORE THIS. if you want to avoid these, i've placed triple bolded brackets around the section. you're not missing much if you skip, so don't worry about that.

If there was one thing Futaba wasn't expecting, finding a new contact on Ren's phone was definitely it.

She had hacked Ren's phone when he first got it ages ago. (She also hacked Goro's and Sumi's phone at the same time, but that's not important.)

Sakamoto Ryuji. According to Shujin's files (she also has Shujin's servers hacked; not that Goro knew, he would have a heart attack), Sakamoto was a second-year formerly on the track team and currently a delinquent with a foul mouth and horrible dress.

Kinda weird that Ren would exchange chat ID's with someone like that on the second day of school.

And that's not even getting started on the contents of their chats. Ren and Sakamoto were trying to stop abuse? Big yikes. Futaba had heard all about the nasty rumors surrounding the gym teacher.

If she wasn't such a coward, she would ask Ren, or Goro, or Sumi. But her friends already had a lot on their plates. Futaba shouldn't bother them.

* * *

Chemistry was boring. The teacher constantly went off on long-winded, off-topic tangents, and his voice was incredibly unpleasant. If Goro wasn't a "model student", he would've taken the plunge and fall asleep in class. God knows he needed it. But no, he had an image to maintain.

He glanced outside. Today was beautiful, with fluffy white clouds and blossoming cherry trees. The fact that Goro was will to pay more attention to the scenery outside than his worst subject was incredibly sad.

Goro blinked. There was a student. Outside. On the rooftop. Suzui Shiho from the second year, in fact. Murmurs spread among his classmates as they also took notice.

Why was she...?

_No._

_Don't do it._

**[[[** He couldn't look away. He couldn't tear his gaze away as she

flung herself to the ground below.

A band tightened around Goro's lungs, blood rushing through his head as his heart pounded, pounded, threatening to explode—

_A woman's body, propped up against the wall of the living room—_

Bile rose past the lump in his throat, stomach churning like a sea storm—

_Red blood staining white clothes, staining white carpet—_

The world was spinning, moving, falling, closing in on him—

_A silver blood-soaked knife, limp pale fingers wrapped around the handle—_

Goro's shoulders heaved as he struggled to catch his breath in front of the bathroom sink. He dimly remembered bolting from the classroom, desperate to leave, to put distance between himself and that disastrous scene outside the window.

Fumbling, Goro tore off his gloves, turned on the faucet, and splashed himself with cold water until his face was numb. His knees finally gave out, and he collapsed.

Goro could have done something. Even if he couldn't stop Kamoshida, he could've at least talked to Suzui. Staring at the tiled floor blankly, Goro couldn't help feeling frustration at his own incompetence. **]]]**

* * *

Sumire stared blankly at her lunch, the shock from that morning refusing to leave her body.

She couldn't believe that Suzui-senpai, someone she had talked to just yesterday, complained about sports with just yesterday, was now in the hospital.

It was Kamoshida. Sumire knew that fact, and it made her blood boil. How could someone just... hurt another person like that? So much so that the victim would be driven to...

Oh god.

The numbness in Sumire's limbs immediately faded as she jumped from her seat, heading towards the stairs. She couldn't believe this slipped her mind.

Goro, despite his attempts at hiding it, did not handle suicide well at all.

She arrived at her destination: the student council room. Sumire slid the door open as quietly as she could.

As she hoped, Goro was sitting at the table, papers spread haphazardly on it. He wasn't focused on them; his head was in his hands, shoulders trembling. As Sumire approached, she could see that his eyes were red and sunken, and his concealer was completely washed off, revealing a galaxy of freckles sprinkled across his nose and cheeks. A far cry from the well-put together ace detective and student council vice president.

"Hey." Sumire slid into the seat next to him.

Goro looked up, turning his head towards her. "Hey, Sumi." His voice was raw, cracking mid-sentence. He cleared his throat, wiping his eyes. "I'm sorry, I just—" His breath caught, and tears began streaming down his face.

Sumire extended her arm, her hand hovering over Goro's shoulder, asking a silent question. When he nodded, she wrapped her arms around him, carding her hands through his hair soothingly. It wasn't long before her shoulder became soaked with tears.

For the rest of the lunch period, Sumire held her friend as he cried, wishing the world wasn't so cruel.

* * *

Akira frowned as he dialed in Sakura-kun's number again. Again he received the voicemail dialogue. It wasn't like the brunet to put off three calls from a work colleague.

Why did he even try to reach Sakura-kun in the first place? His partner was at school, and nothing new came up about the case.

Was it because of the news that someone tried to kill herself at Shujin? Why would he call about something like that?

Was he worried?

No.

He wasn't.

Why would he be?

_Stop denying your feelings._

_Stop getting distracted._

Two different voices, discordant in pitch and tone, refusing to harmonize in his head. He sighed, pinching his nose to fend off the coming headache. Those voices refused to leave him alone, especially on the subject of Sakura-kun, which was annoying. Akira checked his messages out of paranoia for the 30th time. Nothing from his employer or the police department. Weird. He wasn't complaining, though.

His phone buzzed. Never mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ren: *has ryuji's number*  
> futaba: *confused screaming*
> 
> also an akesumi emotional hurt/comfort moment. yay.
> 
> i had to rewrite this chapter twice because my computer crashed multiple times. rip
> 
> so. uh. i'm kinda screaming rn because god this chapter was super hard to write, especially sumi's section. kinda worried i went a little ooc with goro but. :/
> 
> i'm also strugglin at writing akira haha
> 
> apologies for the abrupt ending and lower-quality writing in general but i really needed to get this out
> 
> edit: added onto akira's section. still not satisfied with the ending but it's better than the other one. this boy is really hard to write lemme tell ya


End file.
